


HQ

by PlanetClare



Category: Black Widow (Comics), Captain America (Comics), Hawkeye (Comics), Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Mockingbird (Comic), Winter Soldier (Comics), winterwidow - Fandom
Genre: Anxiety, Bucky Barnes Has Nightmares, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Conflict, Cybernetics, Escaping Your Past, F/M, Love, Nightmares, Protective Natasha Romanov, Self-Hatred, Trust Issues, Unrequited Love, winterwidow - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-13 04:19:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18461348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PlanetClare/pseuds/PlanetClare
Summary: Bucky Barnes has odd encounters on his way to rendezvous with Natasha Romanov.





	HQ

When Bucky received Natasha's text message, he read it and smiled broadly.

<< Pick me up at the office. I'll buy you lunch. >> it read.

Bucky knew that "the office" meant that she was at the secret new headquarters of former S.H.I.E.L.D. agents which was in an unmarked, twenty story building across town. Natasha had been working on a mission for the last few days and had run into a brick wall regarding intel. So, that morning on her way to headquarters, she caught a ride with Agent Klein because she needed to search the archives.

Wearing a black t-shirt, jeans, and knee-high biker boots, Bucky put on his black leather jacket which concealed that he was wearing a gun holster underneath it which also bore two small pistols and a few knives. He left Natasha's apartment, headed downstairs, and climbed onto his motorcycle.

Everyone in the intelligence community was aware of the crimes that Bucky committed as the Winter Soldier, but his record had recently been cleared by reason of brainwashing. So, after what was left of S.H.I.E.L.D. relocated to the unmarked building, Bucky was given clearance by Nick Fury and allowed to visit the facility as he pleased. He was still required to go through security like all the agents, and he was aware that his cybernetic left arm would set off alarms unless he activated its cloaking mechanism.

When Bucky entered the new headquarters, he walked through a metal detector and set off the alarms. An attending guard motioned for him to step to the side where he received a body pat-down and the wand.

"Barnes, you're armed to the teeth," the thin, middle-aged guard lamented.

"Yeah," Bucky agreed. "I've got clearance, though."

"Well, Fury says you're good, so go ahead. Just don't flip out and set off a few rounds," the guard said with a sigh.

"Thanks...I won't," the soldier mumbled before making his way to the elevator.

When the shiny metal doors opened, Bucky stepped in and said, "Archives."

"Archives confirmed," the Artificial Intelligence voice replied.

Moving to the back of the elevator car, Bucky leaned against the wall and folded his arms.

The car stopped on the third floor and when the doors slid open, a petite brunette agent in a dark blue pantsuit stood staring transfixed at him.

Bucky stared back at the woman with his left eye obscured by his long, dark brown hair. Finally, he asked the young woman, "In or out?"

Overcoming her paralysis, the woman gingerly stepped into the elevator. When Bucky raised his eyebrows at her, she finally said, "L-Lab," with a nervous stammer.

The timid woman seemed startled when the doors clapped shut and the AI voice said, "Lab confirmed." She positioned herself as far away as she possibly could from the former assassin, and her body language was not lost on him.

Bucky realized that although he was given a full government pardon, there were many former S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who still might resent his presence there. After all, the Winter Soldier had killed any number of their fellow agents while he was the Fist of Hydra. He knew that what he did was unforgivable, but he wanted the chance to redeem himself if he could.

Reading the agent's body language, Bucy could tell that it was not resentment that she felt toward him but something else. He knew terror when he saw it. It was something that he saw in the eyes of the Winter Soldier's victims during his seven decades with Hydra. Helplessly suspended in cryostasis, he could not rid his subconscious of the horrible visions that his misdeeds elicited.

'I guess if I were her, I'd be scared of me, too,' he concluded as he began to feel a familiar sense of self-loathing.

When the elevator car stopped at the fifth floor, the doors opened and the agent nearly slammed into two other female agents and a male as she darted away.

"Hey! Slow down," one of the females called as she and her colleagues joined Bucky.

"Forensics," the other female agent said.

"Forensics confirmed," the AI voice agreed.

The two female agents – one a tall brunette and the other a slightly shorter blonde – sneaked over-the-shoulder glances at the handsome former assassin standing behind them. Meanwhile, their male colleague droned on about his current workout routine. He intentionally did not acknowledge Bucky but instead implied through his monologue that physically he was more than equal to the rugged soldier.

Bucky smirked and slowly shook his head from side to side.

The women continued to ignore the man as they again stole glances at Bucky, then looked at each other and smiled.

None of this escaped Bucky's attention as he looked at his elevator companions and then stared at the floor. This gave the blonde agent the opportunity to look him up and down and then bite her bottom lip.

As the elevator stopped on the seventh floor and the three agents stepped out, the two female agents looked over their shoulders at Bucky once more.

"Is that guy hot or what?" asked the blonde agent.

"Aw hells yaz!" the brunette agreed. Neither woman seemed to care that the baffled soldier could hear them.

To this, their male companion scoffed and shook his head not understanding what the women saw in the scruffy soldier.

"That guy's a mad dog," the man advised over his shoulder loud enough for Bucky to hear.

"Yeah? Well, he can bite me every day of the week!" the blonde agent declared. She and the brunette high fived as they proceeded down the hallway.

Hearing himself referred to as a "mad dog" was like a kick in the guts for Bucky, and he began to wish that he had not read Natasha's text.

Just as the elevator doors began to slide, Bucky heard approaching footsteps and saw a hand thrust outward to prevent them from closing. When the elevator doors slid open, Bucky felt his stomach sink. Standing before him was Clint Barton and the former Mrs. Barton, Dr. Barbara "Bobbi" Morse.

Stepping into the elevator car, Clint greeted the sullen soldier.

"Well, well...look what the cat dragged in! Who the hell let you into this facility, man?"

"Fury," Bucky mumbled glaring at the blonde archer. Then, looking at Clint's ex-wife, he politely said, "Bobbi," and nodded in her direction.

The tall blonde scientist gave the former assassin a half smile and quickly looked away nervously.

Bucky and Bobbi had been friends for a few years and he always wondered what she saw in Clint. The tall, thin blonde looked like a Victoria's Secret model. She had a PhD in biology and had often consulted with scientific geniuses the likes of Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, and Hank Pym. Following a fatal battle, Bobbi was brought back to life – as Bucky was – with the Infinity Formula. It was at that same time that she was also given the Super Serum, which made her as strong as Steve Rogers, Captain America. Bucky had always known Bobbi to be a brave and caring person. With all this going for her, he struggled to understand why she had married and then divorced such a roguish womanizer as Clint Barton not once but twice. He concluded that sadly, even a brilliant scientist can make a few mistakes.

As the doors closed, Clint said, "Ballistics."

"Ballistics confirmed," the AI voice replied.

Since Clint was standing in front of them, Bobbi took the opportunity to take a quick glance at Bucky.

"What the hell?" he mouthed to her.

Bobbi quickly shook her head from side to side and mouthed in response, "Not now!"

Exasperated, Bucky continued to stare at the scientist.

She looked at him once again and motioned with her hand for him to be patient.

When they reached the requested floor and the doors opened, Clint chirped, "Looks like this is me. See you later, Wife," and smacked Bobbi on her ass.

"Clint!" she yelped angrily.

 _"Ex-wife,"_ he corrected himself with a chuckle. As he stepped out of the elevator, without looking back, he said, "Later, Buck!" and strolled down the hallway.

Bucky was so infuriated that he was actually shaking.

Once the doors were closed, he could no longer contain his anger.

"Bob, why do you take that crap from him? That jerk treats you with no respect at all!"

"Bucky, it's none of your business," she advised him calmly.

"Every time I see him, I could just punch his lights out!"

"Why do you even care?" the scientist asked abruptly.

"Because you and I are friends, Bob," Bucky explained slightly offended that she would even ask.

"Well, you're with Natasha, so I don't think it's any of your business who I associate with."

Bucky abruptly hit the emergency button which brought the elevator to a screeching halt.

"Is there an emergency, Sergeant Barnes?" the AI voice queried.

Ignoring it, Bucky continued to focus his attention on Bobbi.

Stepping close to her and speaking slowly, he stressed, "Who I'm with has no affect on our friendship, Bobbi. I still care about you and don't want to see you hurt over and over again by that guy." Bucky's large blue eyes seemed to penetrate her. After a pause, he continued, "Please tell me you didn't take him back again," the soldier pleaded.

"No, I _didn't_ take him back again," she insisted. "We ran into each other here but even if I _did_ take him back, it's still none of your business."

Stung by her remark, Bucky looked wounded.

"Sergeant Barnes, is there an emergency?" the elevator's AI voice asked again.

"Shut up!" he yelled at the speaker and then returned his attention to Bobbi. He was standing so close that she could feel his breath on her face.

"Bucky, I appreciate that you look out for me and care, but please don't worry. I can handle Clint."

The thought of Clint smacking her on the ass made Bucky's blood boil. "Yeah, so I see," he remarked unable to stop himself.

"We've had this conversation before," Bobbi snapped and then pushed past him to press a button to make the elevator begin to move again.

Smelling the sweet scent of her shampoo, he agreed, "Yes, we have, and it always ends the same way..."

The sexual tension was becoming too much for Bobbi.

Suddenly, the soldier hit the button for the very next floor. When the doors slid open, he abruptly stepped out.

"Bucky, where are you going?" Bobbi asked in dismay.

"I'm taking the damn stairs!" he yelled without looking back.

The soldier climbed the next few flights of stairs and proceeded to the Archives department. As he opened the double doors, he spied a petite red head standing at the front counter. She was wearing jeans, knee-high brown riding boots, a white t-shirt, and a brown waist jacket. As she chatted with the clerk behind the counter, the clerk looked over the spy's shoulder at the approaching former assassin.

"Zoë, are these the only files you could find?" Natasha asked.

The clerk did not respond as she continued to stare at the handsome man approaching them.

"Zoë, focus!" the spy demanded.

When Bucky reached Natasha, he walked up behind her, wrapped his right arm around her waist, tilted his head to the left, and kissed her tenderly above her left eye.

A sultry smile spread across the Russian red head's face.

"James...there you are," she cooed.

Enchanted, Zoë could not take her eyes off Bucky. She was amazed at how sweet and gentle the former assassin seemed compared to his reputation as being the most lethal man on the planet.

Bucky stepped to Natasha's right and leaned on the counter resting on his forearms. Smiling, his gaze never left her.

"Zoë!" she called again.

"Oh! Sorry...what?"

"Are these the only files you could find?" the spy asked again.

"Uh...yes, Agent Romanov. That's all," she admitted finally looking her in the eyes.

Taking a moment to consider her options, Natasha finally said, "Hmm...okay, thank you, Zoë."

Suddenly looking at the clerk, Bucky asked, "Zoë?"

"Y-Yes," she said looking cautiously at the soldier.

"You recently helped Steve Rogers get his hands on some confidential files, didn't you?"

"Y-Yes, I did," the clerk admitted.

"He said you were awesome. He really appreciated your help," Bucky informed her with a boyish grin.

Slowly, the shock of having the fearsome Winter Soldier addressing her subsided and the semblance of a smile crept across the clerk's face.

"I'm glad I was able to help," she said softly.

Natasha looked from Bucky to Zoë and then asked the clerk, "Well, could you please let me know if you do come up with anything else?"

"Yes...of course, Agent Romanov" she replied with a nod.

"Thanks," replied the spy. Then, looking at Bucky, she said, "Come along, James."

The two turned and began to walk toward the door. Looking over his shoulder, the rugged soldier smiled and said, "Bye, Zoë!" to the clerk's dismay.

Nervously, the clerk grinned and waved.

'Did I actually just wave at the Winter Soldier?' she wondered to herself as she felt the blood rush to her face.

Out in the hallway, Natasha pushed the elevator's down button and turned to Bucky as they waited for the car to arrive.

"So, what are we having for lunch?" she asked coyly.

Hoping to avoid another awkward encounter, he asked, "You sure you don't want to take the stairs?"

"Down fifteen flights? Hell no!" the spy snapped.

Bucky let out a soft moan as his shoulders slumped.

"You're getting soft, Soldat," Natasha joked. She pulled him close to her and kissed him passionately on the lips.

When the elevator car arrived, she turned and stepped inside. "So, you didn't say what you want for lunch."

Bucky shrugged his shoulders as his mind was not on his stomach but on his earlier elevator trip.

"I'm not picky," he said seeming a bit agitated.

"Clearly," Natasha remarked. "Okay...I'll pick."

Entering the elevator behind her, Bucky said, "Lobby."

"Lobby confirmed," the AI voice announced.

Natasha thought about Bucky's interaction with Zoë. She was not worried that other women found him attractive, so she saw them as no competition. She knew that he felt she was the only woman who truly understood what he had been through and could handle what he was still dealing with – the nightmares, mood swings, and self-loathing. Occasionally, even she had her moments of doubt that she was enough to support him in his darkest moments, but she knew that for the sake of his sanity, she had to try.

"You and Steve are all I've got," he told her many times, so she was determined to be there for him no matter what, yet always giving him space when he needed to be alone.

As the elevator doors opened on the ground floor and they stepped into the lobby, Natasha asked, "How about that new Chinese place over on Green Street?"

"Yeah, I'm fine with that," Bucky replied looking at the floor ahead of him as they walked.

Looking off to their right, she suddenly pointed and asked, "Hey, isn't that Barbara Morse over there? You know her, right?"

Without looking in that direction, the soldier replied, "Nope," and guided her hand down to her side.

"No, you don't know her or no, that's not her?" Natasha asked with a smile.

"Let's go. I'm hungry," was his reply.

Natasha had known Bucky long enough to realize that something was wrong and he did not wish to talk about it. He seemed agitated and preoccupied, so she decided not to press him.

On their way to the underground parking garage, neither said a word, and they were both actually grateful that the motorcycle engine's hum masked the silence between them.

At the restaurant, Bucky seemed to snap out of it momentarily, finally asking, "So, you were able to find most of the information you were looking for?" He listened attentively while Natasha explained the status of her intel and even reached across the table to hold her hand and stroke it softly with his right thumb.

When their food was served, Bucky picked at it at first but then ate with gusto as he usually did offering her advice where he could and suggesting other ways to gain the info that she needed.

As the two finished lunch and stepped outside the restaurant, they climbed onto Bucky's motorcycle and drove back to her apartment. She suspected what was coming when he came to a stop at the front of the building instead of parking in the garage as he normally would.

"Nat, – " he began.

Interrupting him, she said with a nod, "I know. Take all the time you need."

He gave her a lingering kiss and then restarted the bike's engine. She watched the soldier drive away until she could no longer see him. She had never been to his tiny, dark apartment but knew that it was a safe place for him – a place where he could work through his anxieties and fight the demons that plagued him. As always, in a few days he would text her to say that he was feeling better and would see her soon. Those texts gave her hope that one day he might come to grips with his past once and for all.

**Author's Note:**

> (c) 2019 Planet Press
> 
> The Marvel characters herein are the property of Marvel Comics which retains the rights. The character of Zoë was created by this author.


End file.
